Dave Duerson

It had to be so hard for Casey Cochran to stop playing football. Here was a record-setting high school quarterback from Monroe, son of a legendary high school coach, now the starting quarterback at UConn. The gridiron world was his oyster, but for one thing: He had suffered a series of concussions, the last in the opening game two weeks ago. Thankfully the 20-year-old had the maturity and good sense, as well as the family support, to understand that more head injuries could be debilitating and to walk away from the game. His sound action sheds light on an increasingly troubling issue in contact sports at all levels, particularly football, and his example is one that players, parents...

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